You might think that the aesthetics of your pizza oven are far more attractive without a chimney, but surely ever part of these wood-fired ovens serves a purpose?
Pizza oven venting is an essential part of the pizza ovens design. It will allow the smoke from the combustible materials to be drawn out at the same time as providing good air circulation to keep the fire burning.
In this article, we are going to be looking at the importance of pizza oven venting and some other important information to help you make the most out of your wood-fired oven.
Do You Need A Chimney On A Pizza Oven?
If you are building a pizza oven in your backyard, the chances are that you have looked at a wide variety of ovens and chosen your favourite design. But have you noticed that one of the things that they all have in common is that they each have a chimney?
This is because pizza ovens are fueled with combustible materials which will smoke when they are ignited. It is this wood that gets your pizza oven to the high temperatures needed to cook pizza, but the smoke must have somewhere to go. If it doesn’t, you will end up with food that smells and tastes like smoke.
In addition to this, pizza ovens need a chimney system to allow air to circulate the cooking chamber, as this will keep the wood burning at a consistent temperature.
There are certain methods you can use for your vent chimney system, but the most common for pizza ovens is a front chimney or a central ventilation system. The front chimney is a direct vent and is located directed above the oven door, and the smoke will be sucked up through the chimney pipe. A central design still has a vent above the oven door, but the chimney pipe runs along the top of the oven chamber, and the exit is in the centre of the dome top. This can help to maintain a more stable heat inside your pizza oven.
You will find that your pizza oven kit will contain a chimney or stove pipe, but if you are doing DIY pizza ovens, you must include this element.
How Close Can A Pizza Oven Be To The House?
If you don’t have a lot of space outside, you may need to place your pizza oven close to the house – this is also useful for bringing things outside of the kitchen.
Choosing the right installation area for your pizza oven is essential, and it is a good idea to keep it away from anything that could catch fire.
Something else to consider is how far away from the house should a pizza oven need to be, and most experts would recommend 10 feet. You should also think about pointing the pizza oven door away from the home to avoid smoke getting inside.
The ventilation options are vast but if the pizza oven is away from other structures than a single wall chimney pipe – sometimes called a stove pipe, will give an adequate result and great air flow.
There is a product called Durablack, which is a type of stainless steel stove pipe and is very effective. However, it is essential to remember that this design must only be installed 1.5ft away from the combustible materials for safety reasons.
Do Deck Ovens Require A Hood?
Pizza oven venting will also require the installation of a hood. Hoods provide a way to remove the grease fumes and can also help in maintaining a consistent heat.
A pizza oven hood doesn’t come in a single design, but it is widely accepted that a type 1 hood will work best. This is because these hoods are designed to work with an oven that produces smoke, whereas type 2 work with appliances that produce steam.
Pizza oven hoods are also essential on an indoor oven design – for example, the kind you see in a pizza restaurant.
Conclusion
Many people all over the world take great pleasure from using a pizza oven. Still, you must install a chimney system using either a direct vent, wall chimney pipe or another sort of ventilation. This stops ovens from losing heat due to bad air flow but more importantly, will allow the smoke to be released.
When you build a pizza oven, or if you have brought an oven from the store, you need to make sure that a ventilation system is present – then you can fire up the oven and enjoy delicious pizza as often as you like.
